Heart of the Ocean Read online

  Icarus nodded, a slight smile crossing his lips. He moved toward the Aurai as Laila saw her mother approach across the deck, making her way carefully in the shifting winds.

  "Was that you?" she asked once she was close enough for her voice to be heard.

  Laila nodded.

  "I...I don't know what to say..."

  Laila did not either. All she could do was shrug. Over her mother's shoulder, she could see Dio grasping the railing of the ship. Making sure Connor was all right, she limped over to her old friend with Connor in tow.

  Dio had a white-knuckled grip on the railing of the ship, and he was watching the now rolling waters beneath, trying to focus on a single point to control his motion sickness. Laila stepped up next to her friend and put a gentle arm around his shoulders.

  "Do you have...to make the ship do...this anytime you try and...figure something out?" Dio asked, stopping every few words to keep himself from retching over the side of the ship.

  "I'm sorry," Laila said, trying to comfort him.

  He smiled, though he did not turn toward her, keeping his eyes focused on whatever point he had found.

  "It certainly makes things...interesting," Connor said, rubbing his arms where they had struck the mast.

  "I'm...I...” She trailed off. “I had to do something."

  She saw both of her friends wave dismissively.

  "I've seen you do worse," Connor responded, finally smiling through his pain.

  "You never were one...to wait around for things...to come to you." Dio said. "Always thought...you either had the answer...or that you could be the one...to figure it out."

  Laila smiled at her old friend. Even in his discomfort he still tried to compliment her. At least, she thought it was a compliment.

  Fourteen

  Nuriel

  The wind continued to push the Via to the west and slightly north. Since Laila had released the air from its unnatural containment a few hours before, it had not slowed down. The chaos from the initial burst had receded, but the crew was still in constant motion, ensuring they stayed on course. Captain Drachus stood at the rear of the deck, holding onto the massive wheel that steered the ship. His face was a mask of concentration as he tried to direct the ship along his designated course through sheer force of will. Laila sat on the deck with Dio and Connor. Dio's motion sickness had calmed enough to allow him to sit with the other two on a pile of barrels and supplies lashed to the middle of the deck. Laila had not wanted to go below decks, preferring to watch the crew and the ship cut its way through the ocean. And it gave the boys a chance to play their game.

  "Go ahead, southerner," Dio said, his voice confident despite the green tinge that still haunted his cheeks.

  Laila watched the concentration on Connor's face as he studied the layout of the small bones that were scattered in front of him on the deck. He held a small ball in one hand, ready to throw it against the wood of the deck. Dio's confidence stemmed from Connor's ignorance of the simple game of knucklebones. Apparently they did not have the game in Custos. Dio had taught Connor the basics, and the young southerner had tried, unsuccessfully, to beat the Artisan for the last quarter of an hour. Laila smiled at Connor's concentration. He was really trying to win. She knew, of course, that Dio was very good at knucklebones, among other games; he had always been skilled at the simple games the children had played.

  Connor tossed the ball against the deck. His hands fluttered around the small bones, grasping desperately at them. He was able to scoop up three of the six, and then he snatched at the ball before it could land against the deck again. Catching the ball, he opened his hand, displaying the captured bones.

  "Not bad," Dio said.

  The Artisan took the bones from Connor, placing them back on the deck. He bounced the ball for his own turn, and Laila watched as his hands deftly moved beneath the ball, capturing the bones along the deck with ease. Having picked up the bones, Dio's other hand shot out and caught the ball in the air before it could fall back to the deck. Proudly he displayed the handful of bones in his own hand.

  "I win again," Dio smiled arrogantly.

  "Again," Connor said, motioning back to the deck, determined to beat the Artisan.

  Dio shrugged and placed the bones back on the deck. Laila turned her attention away from the boys' game, watching the crew move about the deck. Captain Drachus still held the wheel, directing the ship. Other members of the crew moved near her. Cadi watched as she pulled one of the many lines taut. She caught Laila watching her and, securing the line she was struggling with, walked over to their small group.

  "Knucklebones, eh?" she said, rocking gently back and forth with the motion of the ship.

  "Aye," Connor said, not raising his eyes away from the game.

  "Remind me sometime. I'll have to teach you boys a real game," Cadi said, an amused smile on her face.

  A commotion at the rear of ship drew their attention. The door to below decks swung open suddenly and Wyndam burst through, followed closely by Icarus and Lunete. Laila could not read the Aurai's face, but Icarus and Lunete both looked angry. She could feel a sense of Icarus’s power as he prepared to restrain the elemental.

  "Where is she?" said Wyndam, looking up at the captain.

  "Ship's not that big, find her yourself," the captain snapped back, not taking his attention away from their course.

  Laila stepped out from their small resting place near the main mast into Wyndam's view.

  "Enough, Aurai!" Icarus nearly shouted.

  "No, Magus!" Wyndam said. Laila was surprised to hear anger in the elemental's voice. "She needs to know."

  "Know what?" asked Laila, waving a hand at Icarus to calm him.

  Icarus nodded in response. "He suddenly became very agitated and needed to come speak to you. He wouldn't tell me."

  Laila nodded. She turned her attention to Wyndam, waiting expectantly.

  The Aurai opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. In the distance there was an odd sound, almost like the crash of thunder, but deeper and more powerful.

  "What...?" she heard Captain Drachus say, his head turning to look at something coming from the north.

  They all turned in unison, staring at the strange sight hanging just over the horizon. Something in the distance glowed. At least it seemed to glow in the slowly fading afternoon light. As they watched the glow drew closer, its speed seemed to increase as its distance decreased.

  "Do you not feel it, Magusari?" Laila heard Wyndam whisper behind her.

  She turned toward the Aurai. "Feel what?"

  The elemental dropped to a knee suddenly as something wracked his body. Fear growing in her chest, Laila turned back to the approaching glow and realized it was not glowing. It was burning. A huge fireball arced through the sky, bearing down on the Via.

  "He comes..." Wyndam's willowy voice cut through the growing roar.

  The fireball slammed into the deck. The shockwave blasted outward, knocking the crew, Laila, and her companions onto their backs. Fire swirled where the fireball had landed. Laila felt the heat of the air singe her lungs as she tried to breathe. Struggling to her feet, she grabbed her staff where it lay on the deck next to her. The fire shifted and spun like a vortex.

  "Magusari!" a voice burned from within the conflagration.

  The ship rocked violently as the fire reached up and caught the canvas of the main sails, burning holes into the fabric.

  "No..." Laila said, forcing her lungs to work despite the pain from the heat that flowed toward her from the fiery vortex.

  "You knew we'd meet again!" Nuriel's voice tore at her from the fire. "I told you I would cleanse the world of its sins. Do you think you can stop me?"

  A figure began to appear within the flames, or perhaps it was the flames that coalesced into the figure. A tall figure, as tall as Wyndam, but thicker of limb. Eyes of ember glared at Laila through the fire. A dark, flame-wrapped arm reached out toward her, and fire burst out, arcing through the air. Laila felt
a body slam into her, knocking her to the deck again, out of the way of the fiery spear. Connor rolled off of her, jumping to his feet, the Sword instantly forming in his hands as he faced the flaming figure of Nuriel.

  "The Warden? All the pieces are on the board, are they? So be it."

  Another lance of fire lashed toward Connor, but he dove out of the way, rolling back to his feet and immediately into a run, launching himself toward Nuriel. Laila, raising herself onto one knee, called on her power. Earth responded from her staff, coating her body. She saw Connor's blade strike out at the fire Aspect. Nuriel dodged the furious attack, sidestepping and launching another burst of fire after Connor. Crew members scattered as the fireball struck a piece of the deck and burst into flames.

  Icarus clapped his hands together, the dust and dirt on his robes bursting off and flying toward Nuriel. The cloud struck the Aspect. For a brief moment Laila saw the fire dim. But it quickly returned, burning through the cloud. The ember eyes turned toward Icarus.

  "Foolish Magus! You are nothing to me." An arc of fire struck out and caught Icarus as he tried to spin out of the way. The older Magus let out a cry of pain as the fire burned across his arm. Laila saw her mother rush to the Magus's side. Suddenly Dio was at her side.

  “Dio, no! What are you doing?”

  Dio did not respond. He was holding a knife, one of the weapons that Lunete and Connor trained with. The green pallor was gone from his face, replaced with a paleness that betrayed his terror. She had to keep him away from the Aspect.

  "Nuriel!" Laila shouted, her voice amplified by her power. As she shouted, she pushed Dio away from her. Strengthened by her power, the force of her push caused him to stumble across the deck, landing in a heap away from both her and Nuriel.

  The Aspect turned to face her. Laila threw herself bodily at the figure, swinging her staff. Nuriel brought up a flaming arm and caught the blow on his forearm. There was a burst of power and fire, and the two of them stumbled back from one another.

  Laila caught herself and prepared to throw herself at the Aspect again. She caught Connor in the corner of her eye; he was moving around behind Nuriel, his Sword ready. Laila shouted wordlessly, trying to draw Nuriel's attention toward her. She swung her staff again, and this time Nuriel caught it in a flaming hand.

  "You are as foolish as the Magus. You won't defeat me. You think the Aurai is going to help you? You're just playing into his plans." Nuriel's voice burned at Laila.

  She struggled against his grip, ripping the staff from his hand. Black marks ran around the staff where his hand had held it. She called on her power and felt the ship begin to rock again as the ocean beneath her struggled against her call to the Earth. If only she could call on the water itself. What better way to defeat fire? She reached out with her senses but could feel nothing from the water.

  Nuriel advanced toward her, his fire seeming to grow with anticipation. Laila stepped back, uncertainty gripping her. She was not a warrior. A flash of blue drew her eyes, and she saw Connor strike out from behind Nuriel.

  With impossible speed the Aspect spun, a sword of fire forming in his own hands and catching the blue light of Connor's Sword. Nuriel stepped toward Connor, the Aspect's blade burning through the air and striking out. Laila could see the desperation in Connor's defense as he tried to keep the flaming blade away from him.

  Laila then saw her mother approach the Aspect's back, her own sword flashing in the fire that burned around the deck.

  "Mother, no!" Laila cried out, trying to reach out toward her with her power, but she still had no connection to Earth. It was all she could do to draw power from her staff; she had no way of stopping her mother.

  Lunete ignored Laila's cry and struck out at Nuriel's back. Her blade struck the flaming figure, cutting across the Aspect's back. With a roar of pain, Nuriel spun from his assault against Connor and faced Lunete. The tip of her blade glowed red hot where it had struck the Aspect.

  "Human!" A sound echoed through the flames that no longer sounded like pain, it was laughter. Nuriel reached out and grasped Lunete's blade in one burning hand. The metal began to glow red. As the Aspect tightened his grip, the blade twisted and melted. Drops of molten metal fell on Lunete's hand and she screamed in pain, the mangled blade falling from her hands.

  Laila yelled as she swung her staff in a wide arc, anger overpowering her fear and desperation strengthening her blow. She felt the staff strike the Aspect's head and another burst of power ripped through the deck and the staff. Fire burst forth again, catching the rigging near Laila and Lunete. She was distantly aware of Captain Drachus shouting orders to his crew through the conflagration.

  Nuriel stumbled back from the blow, dropping her mother's red-hot blade. Connor stepped up behind the Aspect and struck out, the Sword slicing deep into Nuriel's side. The fire burning around the Aspect rose in response as his voice roared in pain. He swung an arm out, launching Connor backwards into the railing of the deck. The Warden flipped over the barrier and was just able to grasp the railing before falling into the churning ocean beneath.

  Laila swung her staff through the rising flames once again. She felt it strike home, releasing yet another burst of power and flame. Nuriel stumbled. Catching himself, he rose up, the flames that coated his body rising into the air, dancing off the bottom of the sails. He lunged forward, grabbing Laila before she could stop him. His hands wrapped around her head, holding her still as she struggled.

  A searing pain bore into her temple, digging toward her mind. All she could see was flames. She struggled against the Aspect's grip but could do nothing.

  “You do not understand, human. I must be free of him! This is the only way. To cleanse the world!” Laila barely understood what he was saying through the pain in her head, but at the edge of her perception, she thought she sensed fear in the Aspect’s voice. That thought alone terrified her, her terror eclipsing the pain. "You bear the Seed." His voice hissed through the air, continuing. "Bear my will as well. See the world as it will be, and know that you will fail."

  Just as the pain grew too much to bear, the burning hands released her, casting her back. She stumbled several steps until she ran into the railing of the ship. Catching herself, she tried to shake off the pain in her head.

  A lance of fire tore through the air toward her. Acting on instinct, Laila brought her staff up defensively, as she had done in the Consulate Hall. Fire roared around her, burning the deck. Tongues of flame danced into the rigging, and Laila felt more than heard herself screaming against the force of it, her own power barely buffering her against the onslaught.

  As the flames roared around her, she slowly became aware of the magic directing the fire. She could see the flows in it as it burned all around her. Anger, desperation, and a ringing pain in her head fueled her efforts, and she directed her will into the flows of the fire, forcing it back to its source. To Nuriel.

  The fire retreated from Laila and inched back toward the Aspect as Laila pushed against his power with her own. She no longer felt the heat of the flames. Instead, the heat had become a part of her as she manipulated the inferno. She felt Nuriel struggle against her, but the wound in his side must have weakened him. With a final shout, Laila slammed her staff into the deck. A deafening cracking sound ripped through the wood beneath her and the fire blew back toward the Aspect. A wave of power swept across the deck, knocking everyone to their backs once again.

  Laila rolled over. Her body ached everywhere. She felt heat emanating from her arms and face, like she had spent too much time in the sun. She could feel heat from the fires that still burned across the ship, but after struggling back to her knees, she saw that Nuriel was gone. A blackened circle of deck was all that remained.

  The crew, struggling to their feet, turned their attention to their burning ship. Captain Drachus's voice cut through the din of the battle.

  "Put those fires out!"

  Laila saw crew members stumbling around the deck, trying to gather buckets and bring up
ocean water to put the fires out. She looked up and her brief elation at the disappearance of Nuriel was cut short. The sails of the main mast were burned badly, and holes were evident throughout the thick canvas. What remained of the sails fluttered in the powerful wind, useless.

  Fifteen

  Shelter

  Laila stared blankly at the burned sails. She could feel that the ship was still moving, so they had some control, but the main sails were no longer useful. The crew quickly gained a handle on the fire across the decks, splashing ocean water to subdue the blaze. White smoke drifted across the ship, adding an odd haze to the scene. Laila slowly recovered from the violence of Nuriel's attack. Her breath was short and her lungs still felt singed. But the heat had finally gone.

  Her eyes surveyed the deck. Her mother lay on the ground, holding her burned right hand. She had ripped a long strip of cloth off of her robes and wrapped it around her hand, but Laila could see the pain that had etched itself on Lunete's face. Icarus leaned heavily against the wall of the rear deck, clutching his own burned left arm. The Magus's robes were scorched and blackened, but the skin underneath did not look too damaged. As her eyes passed over the deck, she saw Dio running to the railing near the blackened marks left behind by Nuriel. He was reaching for something hanging off the edge of the ship.

  Connor! The thought tore through Laila's mind.

  Ignoring her pain, she ran over to Dio as he struggled at the railing. The Artisan was halfway hanging from the railing himself. Fearing the worst, she looked over the edge, expecting to see Connor drifting away in the ocean. She felt her heart leap into her throat for a moment when she saw Dio hanging onto one of Connor's hands, swinging wildly to grasp the other one. He must have reached Connor just as he lost his grip on the railing.

  "Connor!" she shouted.

  "I've got him, but I need help!" Dio shouted back over the wind. "I can't pull him up."

  "Here." Laila leaned over Dio's shoulder, reaching down toward Connor with her staff. The southerner swung his hand out and grabbed the stone. At first, his hand slipped off, the stone slick with ocean spray. He slipped slightly in Dio's grasp. "Quick Connor. Grab it!"